PANTHER. 349 
gative. In the twelfth edition of the Systema 
NaturjE the Panther and Leopard seem to be con- 
founded by Linnaeus himself, who appears to have 
considered them as the same species, under the 
name of Pardus; while, at the same time, his 
specific character^ as the Count de BufFon ob- 
serves^ is such as to agree properly with no animal 
of the whole genus, viz. F. cauda elongata, corpore 
maculis superiorihus orhiculatis, iriferioribus "cirga- 
tis. It may be contended, perhaps, that Lin- 
naeus meant by this expression to characterize the 
obscurely subtransverse streaks on the breast of 
the animal ; but it must be acknowledged that even 
then his descriptive character, though continued 
in the Gmelinian edition of the work, is by no 
means sufficiently expressive; and, like many 
others, seems to require alteration and improve- 
ment. It may, perhaps, have happened that the 
spots on the under part of the sides, in some 
specimens, may have appeared somewhat conflu- 
ent, so as to produce the appearance of an indis- 
tinct kind of streaks; and something approaching 
to this may be observed in the figure of Buffon, 
which, on account of its general excellence, is 
represented in the present work. It is remark- 
able that the specific character of the Panther, 
as given by Brisson, turns upon the same circum- 
stance. 
Thus much may be observed of short specific 
characters in general; that, though highly useful, 
they are not always to be depended upon, and are 
only to be received with a proper degree of allow- 
